Hopper feed box for machine guns



H.` o. 'Russi-:LL Er Al.

HOP`PER-FEED BOX FOR MACHINE GUNS June 8 1926.

2 Sheets-:Sheet 1 Original Filed April 18. 1922 Juine 8 1926. l 1,588,187

H. o. RUSSELL TAL HOPPER FEED Box Foa MACHINE GUNS original Filed April 18, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 8, 1926.

unlrssrars mais? Fics.

OF DAYTON, OI-IIO.`

I-IOPPER FEED BOX FOR MACHNE GUNS.

Rele of abandoned application Serial No. 555,421, filed April 18, 1922. This application filed November 16, 1925. Serial No. 69,537. i

This invention relates to hopper feed boxesforY machine guns.` V'lheobjectrof the invention is to provide a feed box capable of being readily fastened to and detached from a machine gun for the purpose of feeding ammunition to any type of machine gun which is designed to be fed by means of a belt.` The improved hopper feed box provides-means for properly feeding ammunition into the feed way of a machine gun `When the ammunition is'carried in the box dotted lines of a machine gun showing the hopper feed box mounted thereon. v F ig. 2 is a top plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view through the hopper feed box taken at a right angle to Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the hopper feed box which is generally cylindrical. In order to ll the box with cartridges, the box is provided with a lid or door 2 connected at its opposite ends by means of hinge knuckles 3, and hinge pins 4 to the box 1, each of the pins 4 having at one end thereof a handle 5 of any suitable shape.

The lower portion of the box 1 is formed with a righ-t angular cut away portion 6 in `order to adapt it to fit over the cover plate of the gun indicated at 7, and as shown in Figure 3. Along the bottom wall 8 of the box 1 extends a plate 9, having out turned flanges 10, which are adapted to slide under the inturned flanges 11 of another guide plate 12. The plate 12 is carried by a mounting bracket or plate 13 fastened at one end to the gun by means of a pin 14,\and fastened at its opposite end to the cover plate of the gun by means of a locking bolt or pin l5, having at the other end thereof an oper- 1 ating lever 16. The construction just designated provides for readily detaching the i box 1 from the mounting plate or bracket 13,

and also detaching the latter from the gun. In order to lock the hopper feed box on the gun, we provide a catch 17 which is connected at one end to the box by means of a pivot 18, and pressed outwardly by a spring strap 20 which extends upwardly under one ofthe hinge pins 14 over the top of the box l Where it forms a carrying handle 21. The operator, by placing his hand over the top of the box 1 and pressing upwardly with the back of his hand under `and against the strap 21, is able, with the aid of onehand only, to operate and trip the catch 17, unlocking the box from the gun and remove the box entirely from the gun. By reversing the operation just described, he is able to place another box on the gun and lockthe same in place.

The box 1is formed at the lower-most part thereof with a cartridge outlet 22. In conjunction with said outlet, we employ a vertically slidable shutter 23 which is normally pressed to a closed position by means of an expansion spring 211. Connected to the shutter 23 by `means of a pivot 25 is a cam lever 26, having a cam face 27 which is acted upon by the plate 12 as the box is slid across the top of the gun, the camming action resulting in raising and opening the shutter 23 so that the cartridges contained in the box 1 may pass into the feed-Way 2S of the gun.

Operating Within the feed box 1 is a spring actuated follower 29, the saine being disposed radially with respect to the center of the feed box 2. Said follower 29 has one or more arms 30 at the inner end thereof which are journaled on a center shaft 31 extending through the side Walls of the box 1. A helical spring 32 encircles the shaft 31, and serves to press the follower 29 from left to right in Figure 3 for the purpose of urging the cartridges around the interior of the box 1 toward the discharge outlet 22 where they are acted upon by the feed pawls 33 and 34 of the gun.

Adjacent to and working along the top of the oultet 22 is a normally horizontal sliding separator 35 which is attached to and actuated by the feed slide 36 of the gun. The separator 35, by working back and forth, prevents jamming of the cartridges as they approach the outlet 22 and lines said car tridges up 1n readiness to pass out through The outer projecting end of the catch l? has attached thereto one end ofa flexible Y said outlet. 37 designates a spying housing plate detachably fastened to one of the side walls of the box l by any suitable means so 

